Saturday, January 7, 2012

Protestors Sue Kano Police And Government Over Efforts To Quash Free Speech

A lawsuit has been filed against authorities in Kano State over government efforts to silence protestors who are demanding a roll back of the lifting of a petrol subsidy which has caused prices to rise and created hardship for most Nigerians

The protestors who filed the suit are seeking 500 billion naira in damages for the violation of their fundamental human rights and freedom of speech as enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
Barr Jibrin Suleiman Garin Ali, spokesman for the plaintiffs, said: “They beat us to a pulp, they injured several of our protestors and some are still missing and we don’t know their whereabouts.”
“They came following us with guns and their batons hitting us; our cars were destroyed and they terrorized us instead of protecting us as Nigerians.”
He added: “We have taken them to the court seeking redress for the injustices meted out to us. We are Nigerians and have the right to express satisfaction and dissatisfaction with government policies.”

Meanwhile, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in an apparent bid to shift blame for the attacks on protestors, accused members of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), among others, for instigating the uprising against his government.

Kwankwaso, who was speaking with the national leadership of the National Association of Kano State Students (NAKSS) said that “Information available to us indicates that there is a calculated attempt by a political party and a faith-based student body to take control of the situation."
“Kano State alone cannot make a decision over the removal of fuel subsidy. It is a collective decision of the Federal and State Governments as well other stakeholders. We should avoid being used by enemies of state progress to cause instability.”
His allegations could not be confirmed at press time.